No. 7 Xavier Uses Run to Erase First Half Deficit, Defeats DePaul 86-65

Saturday, January 30

Chicago, Ill.

2 P.M.

Xavier University

19-2, 7-2

DePaul University

7-14, 1-8

Xavier

DePaul

No. 7 Xavier Uses Run to Erase First Half Deficit, Defeats DePaul 86-65

01.30.16 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Austin posts career high to help Musketeers pull away in second half

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

ROSEMONT, Ill. - The No. 7/8 Xavier Musketeers used a 17-1 run at the end of the first half to erase a DePaul advantage before pulling away in the second half for the 86-65 win. Five Musketeers hit double figures as Xavier moved to 19-2 on the season and 7-2 in BIG EAST play.

Trevon Bluiett led the Musketeers with 15 points after a 13-point second half on 5-of-6 shooting for the period.

J.P. Macura finished with 12 points after his 10-point first half fueled the Musketeer run to erase the Depaul lead.

Larry Austin Jr. finished with a career-high 12 points, hitting on 4-of-5 shots from the floor. Austin's outing doubled his previous career high of six, set earlier this season at St. John's. Austin also matched his career high in assists with four.

Jalen Reynolds and Myles Davis each added 10 points for Xavier.

The Musketeers opened the game 0-of-9 from the field as the Blue Demon's hit on four of their first five shots to jump out to a 9-0 lead.

A Farr bucket off an offensive rebound Bluiett opened scoring for Xavier, starting a 10-2 run for the Musketeers to cut the DePaul lead down to one, 11-10, with just under eight minutes gone from the game. Five points from Macura fueled the run for XU.

The Blue Demons continued their strong shooting performance, hitting 13-of-20 from the field in the first 15 minutes of the half, including 60 percent from outside the arc, to extend the lead back out to as many as eight in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

The Musketeers' shooting heated up in the final seven minutes of the half, as they hit four straight shots, capped by a three from Macura to cut the DU lead down two, 32-20, with less than three minutes remaining before halftime.

A pair of free throws for Macura tied the game up at 32 and two more free throws from Reynolds put the Musketeers ahead for the first time in the game.

After the Blue Demons started the half 13-of-20, the Musketeers held DePaul to one of its last seven attempts from the field for the final five minutes of the half, including 0-of-5 to close the half. At the same time, Xavier put together a 15-0 run to take an eight point lead, 40-32, with 1:14 to play before halftime.

The Xavier run extended to 17-1 to close the half, giving the Musketeers their largest lead of the game at nine, 42-33, going into the break.

Macura's 10 points led the Musketeers in the first half. Davis had eight and Reynolds and Farr each added six for Xavier.

Xavier owned a 23-12 advantage on the boards at the half, including grabbing nine offensive rebounds to just one for DePaul. XU turned those nine offensive boards into 11 second-chance points to just two second chance points for the Blue Demons.

Bluiett's five rebounds, including three off the offensive glass, led the way for Xavier in the first 20 minutes.

Xavier opened the second half with four unanswered points to extend the lead to 13 less than a minute into the second half, forcing DePaul to call a time out.

Another bucket for Reynolds out of the time out extended the run to 23-1 for the Musketeers and gave Xavier the 15 point lead, 48-33, with 18 minutes to play.

The Musketeers shot over 70 percent from the floor in the first nine minutes of the second half, including 4-of-4 on field goals for Bluiett, extending the lead out to as many as 23 in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Austin posted seven second-half points as the Musketeers pushed the lead out to as many as 26 in the closing minutes of the half, leading 78-54 at the 4:41 mark.

The Musketeers finished with 11 different players in the scoring column as the ended with a 21-point win, 86-65. Xavier had 42 points from bench players to just 12 for DePaul.

Xavier shot 60 percent in the second half, including hitting half of its outside shots. The Blue Demons hit for only 10-of-25 from the floor after hitting four field goals in the final four minutes after the game was in hand for the Musketeers. DePaul failed to hit an outside shot in the second half.

The Musketeers out-rebounded the Blue Demons, 39-27, overall, doubling up DU on offensive rebounds (14-7). Xavier turned those offensive boards into 18 second chance points to just eight for DePaul. Reynolds and Bluiett finished with six rebounds each to lead the team, while Austin grabbed five.

Xavier returns home to host St. John's on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at Cintas Center. The Musketeers and the Red Storm are set to tip at 6:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.

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